Starter having resilient shift lever for driving pinion gear

ABSTRACT

A starter for engines uses a leaf spring as a shift lever for advancing a pinion gear for engagement with a ring gear. The shift lever may be constructed with a plurality of layered leaf springs having respective front ends spaced apart one another to contact a one-way clutch at different positions. The shift lever may include a lever holder which has a low heat conductive member to minimize fatigue of the leaf spring. The leaf spring is initially loaded with a spring force.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] The present application is based on and incorporates herein byreference Japanese Patent Applications No. 2000-7853 filed Jan. 17,2000, No. 2000-273953 filed Sep. 8, 2000, No. 2000-325479 filed Oct. 25,2000 and No. 2000-351440 filed Nov. 17, 2000.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to improvements in starters,particularly to improvements in a shift lever for driving a pinion gearof a starter.

[0003] In a starter disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-OpenNo. 5-180131 and No. 50-65806, a shift lever for driving a pinion gearby an electromagnetic switch is constructed with a resilient drivespring.

[0004] The drive spring may comprise two-layered leaf springs supportedinclinedly at a middle portion thereof and having contact portions atboth ends thereof. However, when the drive spring is operated, loss ofkinetic energy by friction is caused because the respective leaf springsslide relative to each other. Therefore, kinetic energy necessary fordriving the drive spring is requested to be larger by an amount of theloss by friction and load of an electromagnetic switch is increased bythat amount. As a result, the size of the electromagnetic switch islarge and heavy, thus consuming larger power.

[0005] Further, when a pinion gear is meshed with a ring gear of anengine, return force is exerted to the pinion gear by operation of ahelical spline. Therefore, friction heat is generated at an end portionof the shift lever receiving the return force (for example, a portion incontact with a one-way clutch). As a result, there occurs permanent setin fatigue (reduction of resiliency) in the leaf spring by influence ofthe friction heat.

[0006] Moreover, the shift lever has no set load before being broughtinto contact with a movable cylindrical body including the pinion gear.Since the movable cylindrical body is not kicked impulsively,performance of bringing the pinion gear in mesh with the ring gearbecomes insufficient. In the case of the pinion gear and the ring gearfail to mesh each other sufficiently, frictional wear occurstherebetween and the durability becomes insufficient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a startercapable of improving construction and performance of a shift leverformed by a resilient leaf spring.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, a shift leveris constructed with a plurality of leaf springs layered to have gaps atleast at end portions thereof where the ends of the springs contact anopposing member such as a movable body of a pinion gear or anelectromagnetic switch. As the ends of the springs contact the opposingmember at different locations, sliding frictional loss among the springsis minimized.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present invention, a shiftlever is constructed with a lever holder and a leaf spring. A low heatconductive member is attached to an end portion of the holder so thatthe low heat conductive member contacts a movable body of a pinion gear.The low heat conductive member suppresses heat transfer between themovable body and the spring at the time of overrun of the pinion gear.

[0010] According to a further aspect of the present invention, a shiftlever is constructed with a support portion, a lever portion, a leafspring, and a pin supported by the support portion for pivoting thelever. The lever is constructed to apply a set load to the leaf springby pinching the leaf spring. Thus, a pinion gear is advanced forwardimpulsively for engagement with a ring gear of an engine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The above and other objects, features and advantages of thepresent invention will become more apparent from the following detaileddescription made with reference to the accompanying drawings. In thedrawings:

[0012]FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing partly a starter according to afirst embodiment of the present invention;

[0013]FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing a shift lever of the starter inthe first embodiment;

[0014]FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing a slit end of the shift leverin the first embodiment;

[0015]FIG. 4 is a development view showing a shape of one sheet of leafspring used in the shift lever in the first embodiment;

[0016]FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing partly a first modification ofthe shift lever in the first embodiment;

[0017]FIG. 6 is an enlarged view showing a slit end of the shift leverin the first modification of the first embodiment;

[0018]FIG. 7 is an enlarged view showing partly a second modification ofthe shift lever in the first embodiment;

[0019]FIGS. 8A and 8B are a sectional view and a front view of a shiftlever of a starter according to a second embodiment of the presentinvention, respectively;

[0020]FIG. 9 is a partial view showing the shift lever holding a lowheat conductive member in the second embodiment;

[0021]FIG. 10 is a sectional view showing partly a stationary state ofthe shift lever in the second embodiment;

[0022]FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing partly an operating state ofthe shift lever in the second embodiment;

[0023]FIG. 12 is a sectional view showing a starter according to a thirdembodiment of the invention;

[0024]FIGS. 13A and 13B are a sectional view and a front view of a shiftlever of the starter in the third embodiment, respectively;

[0025]FIGS. 14A and 14B are sectional views showing partly an operatingstate and a stationary state of the shift lever in the third embodiment,respectively; and

[0026]FIGS. 15A and 15B are a sectional view and a front view of a shiftlever of the starter according to a modification of the thirdembodiment, respectively;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0027] The present invention will be described in detail with referenceto various embodiments.

[0028] (First Embodiment)

[0029] Referring first to FIG. 1, a starter includes an electromagneticswitch 3, a unit of a pinion gear 204 and a one-way clutch 5 movableforward and rearward along an axial direction, and a shift lever 1 fordriving the unit of pinion gear 204 and clutch 5 by the electromagneticswitch 3.

[0030] The shift lever 1 comprises a plurality of, for instance three,sheets of resilient leaf springs 1 a through 1 c which are layered asshown in FIG. 2. The shift lever 1 is inclinedly supported at a middleportion 13 thereof and have contact portions at both longitudinal ends11 and 12 thereof. In this case, the middle portion 13 of the shiftlever 1 is held or pinched by a pivot 2 in a cylindrical shapeperforated to cross with a through hole and is axially supported to beinclinable in the forward and rearward directions. At the rear end 11 ofthe shift lever 1, three sheets of the leaf springs 1 a through 1 c arealigned with the same length and layered each other to thereby form anend portion. Further, the rear end 11 of the shift lever 1 is insertedinto a through hole 30 formed in a plunger front end portion 32 of theelectromagnetic switch 3 and follows movement of the plunger front endportion 32 with predetermined play.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 3, the front end 12 of the shift lever 1 has aslit portion formed with gaps 120 among the respective leaf springs 1 athrough 1 c not only at contact portions 121 but up to the vicinity ofthe middle portion 13 (FIG. 1). At the front end 12, the respective leafsprings 1 a through 1 c are provided with differences of front endpositions ΔL longer than a thickness “t” of each of the leaf springs 1 athrough 1 c. With respect to a degree of the difference AL, the degreeis so large as to form a gap (slit) having a predetermined spacing “s”between contiguous ones of the respective leaf springs 1 a through 1 cat the front end 12.

[0032] As a result, the leaf springs 1 a through 1 c constituting theshift lever 1 are provided with the contact portions 121 in contact witha rear face 51 of the one-way clutch 5 constituting an opposing memberat positions of three locations different from each other. Further,grease is coated on the rear face 51 of the one-way clutch 5 with whichthe front end 12 of the shift lever 1 is brought into sliding contact.

[0033] As representatively shown in FIG. 4 as a development view of thefrontmost one of the leaf spring 1 a, each of the leaf springs 1 athrough 1 c is a punched-out sheet having substantially a shape ofinverse Y and the front end 12 at two locations of lower ends thereof,are brought into contact with the one-way clutch 5 at the contactportions 121. The respective leaf springs 1 a through 1 c are made ofspring steel material (SK5 or S60CM in JIS standards).

[0034] Referring back to FIG. 1, the shift lever 1 is inclinedlysupported at the middle portion 13 and the rear end 11 of the shiftlever 1 is inserted into the plunger front end portion 32 of theelectromagnetic switch 3. Therefore, when the electromagnetic switch 3is operated and the plunger front end portion 32 is attracted, the shiftlever 1 moves forward forwardly the pinion gear 204 and the one-wayclutch 5 at the front end 12 while flexing due to spring resiliency.

[0035] In this case, the respective leaf spring 1 a through 1 c arebundled together at the middle portion 13. Accordingly, significantrelative displacement is not caused among contiguous ones of the leafsprings 1 a through 1 c. Therefore, at the middle portion 13, even whenthe respective leaf springs 1 a through 1 c are brought into slidingcontact with each other, the stroke of the displacement is small.Accordingly, loss of kinetic energy by friction is not causedsignificantly.

[0036] When the electromagnetic switch 3 is operated, bending moment isapplied to the shift lever 1 and the respective leaf springs 1 a through1 c flexes and resiliently deforms, at the front end 12 of therespective leaf springs 1 a through 1 c, significant relativedisplacement is caused among the front end 12. Therefore, when therespective leaf springs 1 a through 1 c are brought into contact witheach other even at the front end 12 of the shift lever 1, friction iscaused among the respective leaf springs 1 a through 1 c causing loss ofkinetic energy.

[0037] However, the front end 12 of the shift lever 1 has the gaps 120among the respective leaf springs 1 a through 1 c not only at thecontact portions 121 but up to a vicinity of the middle portion 13.Therefore, in the vicinity of the front end 12 having considerablerelative displacement, the respective leaf springs 1 a through 1 c arenot brought into sliding contact with each other and loss of kineticenergy by friction is reduced. As the kinetic energy necessary fordriving the shift lever 1 is not increased considerably to compensatefor friction loss of the front end 12 of the shift lever 1, the load ofthe electromagnetic switch 3 is alleviated and the configuration of theelectromagnetic switch 3 need not be enlarged considerably.

[0038] Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the respective leaf springs 1 athrough 1 c are respectively provided with the contact portions 121 incontact with the rear face 51 of the one-way clutch 5 at positionsdifferent from each other at the front end 12. Accordingly, press forceexerted to the contact portions 121 is dispersed when theelectromagnetic switch 3 is operated. Oil films are formed at therespective contact portions 121 since grease is coated on the rear face51 of the one-way clutch 5, at the front end 12, friction force at thecontact portions 121 of the shift lever 1 is reduced and friction lossof kinetic energy is further reduced. Further, amounts of wearing therespective contact portions or the opposing member are also reduced.

[0039] In the above embodiment, a lever case (not shown) may be providedto contain the front end 12 of the shift lever 1 on the rear side of theone-way clutch 5. The lever case is held rotatably relative to theone-way clutch 5 via a bearing (not shown) and is moved only in theforward and rearward direction. In this instance, wear of the front end12 is minimized since the front end 12 of the shift lever 1 is containedin the lever case and is not brought into sliding contact with othermember.

[0040] (Modification of First Embodiment)

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the front end 12 forms a slit endportion having large gaps 120 and front end portions 12 of therespective leaf springs 1 a through 1 c are bent to fold backrearwardly. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, three sheets of the leafsprings 1 a through 1 c constituting the shift lever 1 are respectivelyprovided with contact portions 121 which are brought into contact withthe rear face 51 of the one-way clutch 5 by curved faces each having aproper radius of curvature. The slit end portions forming the front end12 of the shift lever 1 are brought into contact with the rear face 51of the one-way clutch 5 with the curved faces, and therefore frictionand wear at the contact portions 121 are also reduced. That is, sincethe contact portion 121 of the front end 12 is constructed with thecurved face, an oil film of grease is thickly formed between the contactportion 121 and the one-way clutch 5. Pressure between the contactportion 121 of the front end 12 and the one-way clutch 5 is alsoconsiderably reduced. Therefore, not only friction resistance is reducedby the oil film but also the contact portion 121 of the front end 12 andthe one-way clutch 5 are not directly brought into sliding contact witheach other. Accordingly, wear of the contact portion 121 is considerablyreduced. As a result, load of the electromagnetic switch 3 for operatingthe shift lever 1 is further reduced, the electromagnetic switch 3 isfurther made to be small-sized and light-weighted.

[0042] As a further modification, as shown in FIG. 7, the rear end 11 ofthe shift lever 1 has a slit end portion forming large gaps 110 amongthree sheets of the leaf springs 1 a through 1 c of the shift lever 1.That is, a rear end of each of the leaf springs 1 a through 1 c isrespectively press-formed out of an elongated spring steel plate towardits rear side and the rear end 11 of each of the leaf springs 1 athrough 1 c is bent in a shape of a crank by a predetermined radius ofcurvature in press-forming thereof. Therefore, not only the rear end 11of the shift lever 1 is divided into three sheets of the leaf springs 1a through 1 c with gaps thereamong but also each of the leaf springs 1 athrough 1 c is brought into contact with a contact face 31 of theplunger front end portion 32 at the contact portion 111 having a curvedface.

[0043] Thus, loss of kinetic energy by friction is remarkably reducednot only at the front end 12 of the shift lever 1 but also at a vicinityof the rear end 11, and load applied on the electromagnetic switch 3 isreduced.

[0044] Further, when the plunger front end portion 32 returns to theoriginal position, there is a case in which the rear end 11 of the shiftlever 1 is brought into contact with the plunger front end portion 32 ata contact portion 111′ of the rear face of the leaf spring 1 c. In thiscase, the contact portion 111′ is brought into contact with the plungerfront end portion 32 by a curved face. Therefore, wear is reduced andload of a return spring (not shown) is reduced. Accordingly, there alsois achieved an effect in which the return spring can be made weak andload of the electromagnetic switch 3 is reduced by that amount.

[0045] (Second Embodiment)

[0046] In a second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, a starter includesan output shaft 201 rotated by being transmitted with rotation of amotor armature (not shown), a one-way clutch 203 (inner 203 a, roller 3b, outer 203 c) fitted to the output shaft 201 via a helical spline 202,a pinion gear 204 transmitted with rotation of the output shaft 201 viathe one-way clutch 203, a shift lever 206 for pushing out the piniongear 204 to a side of a ring gear 200 by receiving attraction force ofan electromagnetic switch (not shown), and so on. This starter starts anengine by transmitting rotational force from the pinion gear 204 to thering gear 200 by bringing the pinion gear 204 move forward via the shiftlever 206 in mesh with the ring gear 200 in a known manner.

[0047] The shift lever 206 is constructed as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B.Specifically, the shift lever 206 is constructed with a leaf spring 207made of resilient metal used as a drive spring and a lever holder 208made of metal for holding the leaf spring 207. The shift lever 206 isprovided with a low heat conductive member 209 at a front end (lower endportion) of the lever holder 208.

[0048] The leaf spring 207 exerts resilient force to the lever holder208 by engaging a rear end (upper end portion) thereof with a jointpoint 210 of an electromagnetic switch and with a support pin 211 as afulcrum. The lever holder 208 holds to incorporate the leaf spring 207supported pivotably by the support pin 211 and inserted between thesupport pin 211 and the lever holder 208. Further, as shown in FIG. 8B,the leaf spring 207 and the lever holder 208 are provided such thatlower sides thereof are respectively bifurcated and arranged to rideover a barrel 212 of the one-way clutch 203.

[0049] The low heat conductive member 209 is provided at a positionwhich is brought into contact with a rear end face 203 d of the one-wayclutch 203 (FIG. 10) when the pinion gear 204 is moved forward to theside of the ring gear 200 via the shift lever 206. Specifically, asshown in FIG. 8, the low heat conductive members 209 are held at twobifurcated lower end portions of the lever holder 208. The low heatconductive member 209 is molded by, for example, a resin memberexcellent in wear resistance. It is provided to project to a sideforward from a front end face of the lever holder 208 (side of thepinion gear 204) by a predetermined amount in a plate thicknessdirection (front and rear direction) of the lever holder 208. A frontend face 209 a of the low heat conductive member 209 is constructed witha gradually projected curve face (circular arc face) as shown in FIG.8A.

[0050] Further, the low heat conductive member 209 may adopt a structurein which the low heat conductive member 209 is integrally provided witha lock piece 209 b and the lock piece 9 b is supported by the leafspring 207 as shown in FIG. 9 to prevent detachment from the leverholder 208.

[0051] When a starter switch (not shown) is turned on, an inner contactof the electromagnetic switch is closed and electricity is conducted toan armature and the armature starts rotating. Rotation of the armatureis transmitted to the output shaft 201 via a speed reduction apparatus(not shown) and transmitted further from the output shaft 201 to thepinion gear 204 via the one-way clutch 203.

[0052] By transmitting attraction force of the electromagnetic switch tothe one-way clutch 203 via the shift lever 206, the pinion gear 204 ismoved forward to a front side (left direction of FIG. 10) on the outputshaft 201 integrally with the one-way clutch 203. The pinion gear 204 isbrought in mesh with the ring gear 200 as shown in FIG. 11 to therebyrotate the ring gear 200 and crank the engine.

[0053] After starting the engine, when the starter switch is turned off,the attraction force of the electromagnetic switch is nullified. Thepinion gear 204 is pulled back on the output shaft 201 integrally withthe one-way clutch 203 via the shift lever 206, detached from the ringgear 200 and returns to an initial position shown in FIG. 10. Further,by opening the inner contact of the electromagnetic switch, current tothe armature is shut off and rotation of the armature is stopped.

[0054] In the above operation, after starting the engine, when thepinion gear 204 is brought into the overrun state while being in meshwith the ring gear 200, in the one-way clutch 203, the inner 203 arotated integrally with the pinion gear 204 is idly rotated and idlerotation torque thereof is transmitted to the outer 203 c via the roller203 b. As a result, rotation of the outer 203 c is converted into forceof regressing on the output shaft 201 by operation of the helical spline202. Accordingly, the pinion gear 204 is exerted with return force. Atthis occasion, as shown in FIG. 11, the low heat conductive members 209held at the two lower end portions of the lever holder 208 are broughtinto contact with the rear end face 203 d of the one-way clutch 203 andreceive the return force of the pinion gear 204. Accordingly, slidingfriction is produced between the low heat conductive members 209 and therear end face 203 d of the one-way clutch 203.

[0055] According to this embodiment, heat generated by the slidingfriction is less likely to transmit to metal portions of the shift lever206 (the helical spring 207 and the lever holder 208). As a result, evenwhen the leaf spring 207 made of metal is used as the drive spring,permanent set in fatigue of the leaf spring 207 caused by influence ofheat can be restrained and a deterioration in the spring function can beprevented. Particularly, when the engine rotational number in startingis increased by promotion of the ignitability, the return force of thepinion gear 204 received by the shift lever 206 is increased, frictionheat generated by the sliding friction is also increased. Therefore, aneffect of providing the low heat conductive members 209 at the endportions of the lever is also increased.

[0056] Further, since permanent set in fatigue of the leaf spring 207 byheat can be reduced, an effect of using the leaf spring 207 (capable ofshortening the shaft length of the starter) can be achieved and astarter which is small-sized and having stable service life can beprovided.

[0057] (Modification of Second Embodiment)

[0058] The shift lever 206 may be applied to a starter having astructure in which the one-way clutch 203 is arranged on the rear sideof the shift lever 206 and the pinion gear 204 is moved on the outputshaft 201 by itself. Further, the shift lever 206 may be constructedwith a single or a plurality of the leaf springs 207, and the low heatconductive members 209 are provided at end portions of the leaf spring207.

[0059] (Third Embodiment)

[0060] In a third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, a starter 301 isconstructed to include a starter motor 302 for generating rotationalforce by receiving electricity conduction, an output shaft 203 arrangedcoaxially with a rotating shaft of the starter motor 302, a movablecylindrical body 304 fitted to a helical spline 303 a of the outputshaft 303 and movable forward and rearward in an axial direction alongthe helical spline 303 a, a restricting member 305 for kicking out themovable cylindrical body 304 to advance by a predetermined amount bybringing a pinion gear 304 a in mesh with a ring gear 300 whilerestricting the movable cylindrical body 304 from retreating in order tobring a teeth portion (pinion gear) 304 a of the movable cylindricalbody 304 in mesh with the ring gear 300 of the engine, and drive unit306 for pushing out a lever 352 of the restricting member 305 in adirection to a side of the movable cylindrical body 304. The lever 352is used to generate a spring force.

[0061] The starter motor 302 is a direct current motor constructed toinclude an armature 321, a fixed electromagnetic pole 322, a yoke 323and a brush 324. When a key switch (starter switch not shown) is turnedon and an inner contact (not shown) of the electromagnetic switch 306 isclosed, electric power is fed to the armature 321 via the brush 324 andthe armature 321 is rotated.

[0062] Further, the starter 301 is provided with a speed reductiondevice 325 for transmitting rotational force of the starter motor 302 tothe output shaft 303. The speed reduction device 325 is constructed witha sun gear 325 a forming outer teeth at an outer periphery of anarmature shaft 321 a, an internal gear 325 b in a ring-like shapeforming inner teeth in a diametric direction of the sun gear 325 a andplanetary gears 325 c arranged between the sun gear 325 a and theinternal gear 325 b to be in mesh with the two gears 325 a and 325 b andby revolving the planetary gears 325 c while being rotated at an outerperiphery of the sun gear 325 a, revolution of the planetary gears 325 cis transmitted to the outer shaft 303 via pins 325 d. The speedreduction device 325 is contained along with the armature 321 by theyoke 323 and a center case 326 and an end cover 327 arranged and fixedon a front side and a rear side of the yoke 323.

[0063] The movable cylindrical body (pinion gear) 304 is constructedwith including the pinion gear 304 a to be in mesh with the ring gear300 of the engine and a one-way clutch 304 b fitted to the helicalspline 303 a of the output shaft 303 and movable forward and rearward inthe axial direction along the helical spline 303 a.

[0064] That is, the one-way clutch 304 b is provided movably in theforward and rearward direction on the output shaft 303 integrally withthe cylindrical movable body 304 by being helical spline-fitted to theouter periphery of the output shaft 303 slidably via the helical spline303 a. The pinion gear 304 a is fitted slidably to the outer peripheryof the output shaft 303 via a bearing 34 a 1, move forward on the outputshaft 303 integrally with the one-way clutch 304 b via the lever 352 andbrought in mesh with the ring gear 300 to thereby transmit rotationalforce to the ring gear 300. Meanwhile, the one-way clutch 304 btransmits rotation of the output shaft 303 to the pinion gear 304 a andblocks power transmission between the output shaft 303 and the piniongear 304 a when rotational speed of the pinion gear 304 a exceedsrotational speed of the output shaft 303 by starting the engine.

[0065] The restricting member (shift lever device) 305 is constructedwith a support portion 351, the lever 352 supported by the supportportion 351 and having a leaf spring 352 a and a pin supported by thesupport portion 351 for pivoting the lever 352. In the shift leverdevice 305, one side of the lever 352 is arranged to be capable oftransmitting reciprocal movement of a movable portion 306 a in the axialdirection to the cylindrical movable body 304 by being brought intocontact with the movable portion 306 a of the drive unit 306 with thesupport portion 351 as a fulcrum and other side thereof is arranged tobe capable of moving to a contact face 304 b 1 of the cylindricalmovable body 304 with the support portion 351 as a fulcrum by operatingthe drive unit 306 when the engine is started. Further, as shown in FIG.12, the shift lever device 305 is contained in a front cover 307 andincorporated in the starter 301 along with the drive unit 306, thestarter motor 302 and the output shaft 303 rotated integrally with thestarter motor 302.

[0066] The driving device (electromagnetic switch) 306 is constructedwith including a plunger 361, a coil 362 and an inner contact (notshown). The plunger 361 is provided with a return spring 363 for urgingthe plunger 361 to a side of the lever 352 when electricity is notconducted to the coil 362. When the electromagnetic switch 306 isbrought into an operating state, that is, when electricity is. conductedto the coil 362 and attraction force is generated, the built-in plunger361 is moved in the right direction of FIG. 12. In accordance withmovement of the plunger 361, the inner contact is opened and closed, themovable portion 306 a capable of being brought into contact with thelever 352 of the shift lever device 305 is moved in the forward andrearward direction (left and right direction in FIG. 12) integrally withthe plunger 361 to thereby move the cylindrical movable body 304 in theforward and the rearward direction (left and right direction in FIG. 12)on the output shaft 303 via the lever 352.

[0067] Further, the movable portion 306 a is provided at a front end ofthe plunger 361 on the side of the lever 352. Further, the plunger 361is provided with a contact spring 364 for applying set load to a movablecylindrical body contact (not shown) of the inner contact for movablyarranging a plunger end portion 361 b in the axial direction.

[0068] In this embodiment, when electricity is conducted to the coil 362built in the electromagnetic switch 306 by operation of turning on thekey switch (starter switch), the plunger 361 is attracted in the rightdirection in FIG. 12. The movable portion 306 a is brought into contactwith the lever 352 supported by the support portion 351 of the shiftlever device 305 and moves the cylindrical movable body 304 by apredetermined amount in accordance with an amount of moving the plunger361. That is, when the electromagnetic switch 306 is operated, thepinion gear 304 a is moved forward on the output shaft 303 integrallywith the one-way clutch 304 b via the lever 352. Thereby, thecylindrical movable body 304 advances and is brought into contact withthe ring gear 300.

[0069] Next, by contacting the pinion gear 304 a to the ring gear 300,the plunger is moved further in the right direction and closes the innercontact of the drive unit 306 via the lever 352. When the inner contactis closed, the armature 321 is conducted with electricity and rotatedand rotation of the armature 321 is decelerated by the speed reductiondevice 325 and is transmitted to the output shaft 303.

[0070] Rotation of the output shaft 303 is transmitted to the piniongear 304 a in contact with the ring gear 300. when the pinion gear 304 ais rotated up to a rotational angular position capable of being broughtin mesh with the ring gear 300, the pinion gear 304 a is moved forwardimpulsively by spring force of the leaf spring 352 a held in the lever352. Accordingly, the pinion gear 304 a can be brought into mesh withthe ring gear 300. Thereby, rotation of the pinion gear 304 a istransmitted to the ring gear 300 to thereby start the engine.

[0071] Next, after starting the engine, when electricity conduction tothe coil 362 of the electromagnetic switch 306 is stopped by operationof turning off the key switch, the plunger 361 which has been attracted,returns to an initial position by urge force of the return spring 363.Thereby, the lever 352 regresses in the right direction in FIG. 13. Atthis occasion, the pinion gear 304 a is brought into a state of beingdetachable from the ring gear 300 since nothing restricts regressionthereof. Therefore, by operation of the one-way clutch 304 b, the piniongear 304 a is detached from the ring gear 300 integrally with theone-way clutch 304 b and retreats on the output shaft 303. Further, byopening the inner contact of the electromagnetic switch 306, electricityconduction to the armature 321 is stopped to thereby stop rotationthereof.

[0072] As shown in FIG. 13A, the shift lever device 305 is constructedwith the support portion 351, and the lever 352 supported by the supportportion 351 and having the leaf spring 352 a. The lever 352 isconstructed with the leaf spring 352 a, a lever holder 352 b for holdingthe leaf spring and a pin 352 c for pinching the leaf spring 352 a alongwith the lever holder 352 b. The shift lever 352 operates as a springforce generating member S.

[0073] The lever holder 352 b is formed by a metallic material, andprovided with rib portions 352 bR extended in the axial direction of thestarter 301 to surround the leaf spring 352 a. That is, the lever holder352 b is formed by a metallic material and is provided with the ribportions 352 bR for containing the leaf spring 352 a.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 13B, to restrict rotation of the pinion gear 304a, one side of the lever holder 352 b on the side of the pinion gear 304a is provided with bifurcated portions 352 bF having two pieces ofcontact portions 352 d, which are brought into contact with an outerperipheral side of the contact face 304 b 1 of the pinion gear 304 a andformed to divide in a bifurcated shape. Further, as shown in FIG. 13B,other side thereof on the side of the electromagnetic switch 306, isprovided with a notched portion 352K such that the movable portion 306 aof the electromagnetic switch 306 and the leaf spring 352 a can bebrought into contact with each other.

[0075] When the pinion gear 304 a is stationary, that is, before theelectromagnetic switch 306 moves the shift lever device 305 to thepinion gear 304 a, rib portions (corner portions) 352 bT forming thenotched portion 352K, are brought into contact with the plunger 361 suchthat the leaf spring 352 a, that is, a contact portion 352 aT is notbrought into contact with the movable portion 306 a. Therefore, the leafspring 352 a is released in bringing the pinion gear 304 a in mesh withthe ring gear 300, or when the movable portion 306 a returns afterbringing the pinion gear 304 a in mesh with the ring gear 300, loadapplied on the leaf spring, or impact load can be restrained andreceived by the corner portions 352 bT of the lever holder 352 b.Thereby, breakage of the shift lever device 305, particularly, the leafspring 352 a by the impact load can be prevented.

[0076] The leaf spring 352 a is formed by a spring member and an outershape thereof is formed to align with the rib portions 352 bR containingthe leaf spring 352 a of the lever holder 352 b and is provided withbifurcated portions 352 aF in correspondence with the bifurcatedportions 352 bF of the lever holder 352 b.

[0077] Further, as shown in FIG. 13A, it is preferable to form thecontact portion 352 aT in contact with the movable portion 306 a bybending a leaf spring. Thereby, the contact portion 352 aT of the leafspring 352 a is less likely to be brought into partial contact with acontact face of the movable portion 306 a of the electromagnetic switch306. Accordingly, when the movable portion 306 a is moved in the rightdirection in FIG. 12 by operating the electromagnetic switch 306, themovable portion 306 a can advance stably and smoothly toward the piniongear 304 a of the lever 352 to be engaged with the movable portion 306a. Further, face contact can be carried out by the bent contact portion352 aT. Accordingly, the movable portion 306 a and the contact portion352 aT can achieve promotion of reliability in the wear resistance.

[0078] The pin 352 c is formed as a supporting member of a metallicmaterial, arranged in a direction orthogonal to the output shaft 303 andis fixed to the lever holder 352 b to penetrate the rib portions 352 bRof the lever holder 352 b. Pin end portions 352 c 1 projected from thelever holder 352 b are supported by the support portion 351 as fulcrumsof the lever 352. Thereby, the pin 352 c is supported by the supportportion 351, makes the lever 352 pivotable and pinches the leaf spring352 a by the pin 352 c and the lever holder 352 b. The leaf spring 352 acan be provided with set load. That is, by using the pin 352 cconstituting an operating member for applying set load to the leafspring 352 a, the pin 352 c also serves as the pin end portions 352 c 1supported by the support portion 351. Accordingly, the construction canbe simplified and downsizing of the starter 301, particularly,downsizing of the lever 352 can be carried out. The support portion 351is formed by a resin member and supports the lever 352 constructed asdescribed above with the pin 352 c as the fulcrum.

[0079] When the lever holder 352 b and the pin 352 c for applying setload to the leaf spring 352 a are subjected to material improvement orsurface hardening by heat treatment, an increase in strength thereof canbe achieved without enlarging configuration thereof. Therefore, a rangeof setting the set load to the leaf spring 352 a can be enlarged. Thatis, the lever holder 52 b and the pin 52 c are formed by a metallicmaterial. Accordingly, increase of strength by heat treatment can becarried out to provide desired set load. Therefore, it is not necessaryto select means for enlarging configurations of the lever holder 352 band the pin 352 c for increasing strength. Therefore, the configurationcan be downsized in comparison with a material which cannot adopt meansfor increasing strength by material improvement or surface hardening byheat treatment as in a resin material.

[0080] Further, as means for fixing the pin 352 c to the lever holder352 b, without using a bonding member of welding, the pin 352 c canfirmly be fixed by press-fitting the pin 352 c into through holes 352 bcof the lever holder 352 b.

[0081] Further, the leaf spring 352 a of the lever 352 is provided withthe bifurcated portions 352 aF. Thereby, the leaf spring 352 a can beprolonged. When set load is applied to the leaf spring 352 a, an amountof deformation produced by applying load can be increased in accordancewith the length. That is, the pin 352 c for applying set load to theleaf spring 352 a can be made to be easy to pinch the leaf spring 352 a.

[0082] An explanation will be given of a characteristic of promotingperformance of bringing the pinion gear 304 a and the ring gear 300 inmesh with each other by impulsively kicking the pinion gear 304 a byusing spring force of set load of the lever 352 by the shift leverdevice 305.

[0083]FIG. 14A is a schematic sectional view showing states of the lever352 in which electromagnetic switch 306 is in an OFF state. FIG. 14B isa schematic sectional view showing a state of the lever 352 in which theelectromagnetic switch 306 is in the ON state.

[0084] As shown in FIG. 14A, in the state in which the electromagneticswitch 306 is not operated, the lever 352 supported by the supportportion 351 is arranged vertically with the pin 352 c as a fulcrum.Since the leaf spring 352 a is applied with set load, it is notnecessary to bend the leaf spring 352 a by bringing the movable portion306 a into contact with the leaf spring 352 a of the lever 352.Therefore, it is not necessary to bring the leaf spring 352 a, that is,the lever 352 into contact with the movable portion 306 a and the lever352 may be brought into contact therewith or may be disposed in thevicinity of the movable portion 306 a without being brought into contacttherewith.

[0085] When the key switch is brought into the ON state, that is, theelectromagnetic switch 306 is brought into the ON state, as shown inFIG. 14B, the electromagnetic switch 306 is brought into an operatingstate. That is, the movable portion 306 a is moved in the rightdirection integrally with the plunger 361 from a state of FIG. 14A to astate of FIG. 14B. At this occasion, the contact portion 352 aT of theleaf spring 352 a contained in the lever 352 of the shift lever device305, is brought into contact with the movable portion 306 a. When themovable portion 306 a is further moved in the right direction, thecontact portions 352 d of the lever 352 supported by the support portion351 are moved by a predetermined amount to the side of the contact face34 b 1 of the pinion gear 304 a in accordance with an amount of movingthe movable portion 306 a. The contact portion 352 a is brought intocontact with the contact face 34 b 1 and moves forward and makes thepinion gear 304 a of the cylindrical body 304 advance to be brought intocontact with the ring gear 300. That is, the pinion gear 304 a is movedforward on the output shaft 3 and is brought into contact with the ringgear 300.

[0086] When the pinion gear 304 a moves forward via the lever 352 andcomes into contact with the ring gear 300, the movable portion 306 awith which the contact portions 352 d formed at the leaf spring 352 a ofthe lever 352 are brought into contact, that is, the plunger 361 movesfurther in the right direction against set load of the lever 352 andcloses the inner contact of the electromagnetic switch 306.

[0087] Further, when the inner contact is closed, the armature 321 isconducted with electricity and rotated and rotation of the armature 321is decelerated by the speed reduction device 325 and is transmitted tothe output shaft 303. Rotation of the output shaft 303 is transmitted tothe pinion gear 304 a in contact with the ring gear 300. At thisoccasion, as shown in FIG. 14B, the pinion gear 304 a is applied withspring force in correspondence with load added with set load of the leafspring 352 a of the lever 352 which is detached from a set loadoperating point 352S of the lever holder 352 b and is further bent, andload of a set amount. Therefore, when the pinion gear 304 a is rotatedup to a rotational angular position capable of being brought in meshwith the ring gear 300, the pinion gear 304 a is moved forwardimpulsively in the left direction of FIG. 14B by the spring force incorrespondence with the load added with the set load and the load of thebent amount.

[0088] That is, by operating the electromagnetic switch 306, the piniongear 304 a can be move forward impulsively by the spring force of thelever 352, that is, the shift lever device 305 provided with the springforce in correspondence with the load added with the load of the bentamount by which the lever 352 in contact with the movable portion 306 ais detached from the load operating point 352S and bent in accordancewith the predetermined amount of moving until the lever 352 contactingwith the movable portion 306 b brings the pinion gear 304 into contactwith the ring gear 300, and the set load. Thereby, the performance ofbringing the pinion gear 304 a in mesh with the ring gear 300 can bepromoted. Therefore, the pinion gear 304 a and the ring gear 300 arebrought in mesh with each other without being brought into mesh witheach other insufficiently and the engine can be started swiftly.

[0089] Further, as urging means for moving the plunger 361 further inthe right direction after the pinion gear 304 a has been brought intocontact with the ring gear 300 and closing the inner contact of theelectromagnetic switch 306, by using the set load of the lever 352, itis not necessary to include urging means (drive spring) for urging theplunger 361 arranged in the plunger 361 in the right direction.Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 12, the plunger 361 can be formed in acylindrical shape which is not hollow. Therefore, by using the lever 352having the set load of the leaf spring 352 a, downsizing of the plunger361 of the electromagnetic switch 306, that is, downsizing of thestarter 301 can be carried out.

[0090] (Modification of Third Embodiment)

[0091] As shown in FIG. 15A, the leaf spring 352 a is layered with aplurality of spring members (layered with two sheets of spring membersin FIG. 15A), and the contact portion 352 aT in contact with the movableportion 306 a of the electromagnetic switch 306 is formed by bending aspring member 352 a 1 in two sheets of spring members 352 a 1 and 352 a2. Thereby, the spring characteristic of the leaf spring 352 a can beadjusted by combining to select plate thickness of the spring members352 a 1 and 352 a 2. Therefore, there can be suppressed a dispersion inrespective products of the spring force of impulsively kicking thepinion gear 304 a. Therefore, desired spring force can be set and theperformance of bringing the pinion gear 304 a and the ring gear 300 inmesh with each other can further be promoted.

[0092] The contact portion 352 aT in contact with the electromagneticswitch 306 of the leaf spring 352 a is formed by bending one sheet ofthe spring member 352 a 1 in the leaf spring layered with the springmembers 352 a 1 and 352 a 2. Accordingly, it is easy to bend the contactportion 352 aT by press-forming and fabrication cost can be reduced.Therefore, stability of operation of advancing the lever 352 of thepinion gear 304 a by using the electromagnetic switch 306 as well aspromotion of reliability of wear resistance of the movable portion 306 aof the electromagnetic switch 306 and the contact portion 352 aT of thelever 352.

[0093] Further, as shown in FIG. 15B, the leaf spring 352 a is providedwith projected portions 352 aK locked by notched portions 352 bK of thelever holder 352 b. Accordingly, an integration operation of applyingset load to the leaf spring 352 a by pinching the leaf spring 352 a bythe lever holder 352 b and the pin 352 c, the leaf spring 352 a and thelever holder 352 b are less likely to shift from each other. Thus, theintegration operation of integrating the pin 352 a to the lever holder352 b can be facilitated. Further, it is preferable to provide theprojected portions 352 aK at front ends of the bifurcated portions 352aF as shown in FIG. 15B.

[0094] The contact portion (brake shoe portion) 352 d in contact withthe contact face 304 b 1 of the pinion gear 304 a is formed by a resinmember and may be fixed to the lever holder 352 b formed by a metallicmaterial. Therefore, there is a case in which the pinion gear 304 a isexcessively rotated when the pinion gear 304 a continues to be driven bythe engine at an instance of starting the engine after the pinion gear304 a of has been kicked impulsively and brought in mesh with the ringgear 300. However, even when the pinion gear 304 a is rotatedexcessively, the lever 352 is brought into contact with the pinion gear304 a via the brake shoe portions 352 d formed by a resin material.Accordingly, owing to heat conductivity of the resin material, heatconduction to the lever holder 352 b containing the leaf spring 352 acan be alleviated.

[0095] As shown in FIG. 15A, a packing 353 formed by a rubber member isprovided on a surface of a rear face portion 351 a fixed to theelectromagnetic switch 306 and the starter motor 302 (center case 326).Thereby, a match face of the electromagnetic switch 306 and the startermotor 302 can be sealed by using the packing. Therefore, invasion ofwater or oil into an inner space of the starter including the shiftlever device 305 can be prevented. Further, the packing 353 is providedwith a projected wall 353 a inserted into and fixed by a positioninghole 351 aH of the rear face portion 351. Thereby, promotion ofdisassembling and assembling operational performance and a reduction ina cost of a spare part in the market are compatible.

[0096] Further, as shown in FIG. 15B, corner portions 352 bT areprovided on the side of the electromagnetic switch of the lever holder352 b of the lever 352. Therefore, the lever holder 352 b can beprojected to be longer than the leaf spring 352 a in a directionorthogonal to the shaft of the pin 352 c.

[0097] Thereby, the corner portions 352 bT can be brought into contactwith the plunger 361 such that the contact portion 352 aT of the leafspring 352 a is not brought into contact with the movable portion 306 awhen the pinion gear 304 a is stationary. Therefore, when the piniongear 304 a is brought in mesh with the ring gear 300 or after the piniongear 304 a has been in mesh therewith, impact load applied on the leafspring can be restrained and can be received by the corner portion 352bT.

[0098] Further, it is preferable that the corner portion is providedwith an end portion shape 352 bTC capable of being brought into facecontact with the plunger 361 constituting the driving device regardlessof attitude, that is, inclination of the lever holder 352 b. The endportion shape 352 bTC may be a curved shape of R shape as shown in FIG.15A to thereby carry out the face contact.

[0099] Further, other than the construction of the shift lever device305 for applying set load to the leaf spring 352 a explained in theembodiment, in which the shift lever device 305 is constructed with theapparatus of including the leaf spring 352 a and the lever holder 352 bfor holding the leaf spring 352 a, there may be constructed anyconstruction of the shift lever device for only holding the leaf springwithout applying the set load so far as the performance of bringing thepinion gear and the ring gear in mesh with each other is improved byutilizing spring force by the leaf spring.

[0100] The above modification of the second embodiment has the shiftpreventive structure of the leaf spring 352 a and the structure ofpreventing breakage of the leaf spring 352 a by excessive load in thelever 352 constituting the spring force generating apparatus S.

[0101] When the projected portion 352 aK does not catch the lever holder352 b by bending thereof but as shown in FIG. 15A, formed on a developedplane of the leaf spring 352 a, there can be constructed a constructionin which stress concentration is less likely to operate at the projectedportion 352 aK even when the notched portion 352 bK of the lever holder352 b is caught thereby.

[0102] Further, as shown in FIG. 15B, it is preferable that theprojected portion 352 aK is provided at a front end of at the bifurcatedportion 352 aF. Thereby, according to the lever 352 constituting thespring force generating apparatus S, load can be absorbed in accordancewith a length to the projected portion 352 aK constituting the endportion of the leaf spring 352 a.

[0103] Next, as shown in FIG. 15A, the pin 52 c constituting the supportmember is formed in a cylindrical shape. Accordingly, movement of anoperating point for applying set load to the leaf spring 352 a can bemade smaller than in a polygonal shape such as a rectangular shape.Accordingly, excessive load accompanied by moving the leaf spring 352 acan be made less likely to occur at the end portion 352 aK.

[0104] Further, it is preferable to set to arrange the end portion 352aK as follows in relation to the pin 352 c constituting the supportmember. That is, a distance of separating the pin 352 and the endportion 352 aK is set to be larger than a movement amount for moving theleaf spring 352 a owing to deformation thereof. Thereby, interference ofthe end portion 352 aK with the pin 352 c by deforming the leaf spring352 a can be avoided. Accordingly, excessive load can be prevented frombeing loaded on the leaf spring 352 a.

[0105] According to the brake shoe portion 352 d, as shown in FIG. 15B,it is preferable to provide a guide portion 352 dG for guiding the endportion 352 aK of the leaf spring 352 a. Thereby, when the end portion352 aK is fixed by catching the lever holder 352 b, performance ofsettling the end portion 352 aK is promoted. Accordingly, positioning ofthe leaf spring 352 a is facilitated.

[0106] The present invention should not be limited to the disclosedembodiments and modifications, but may be implemented in various wayswithout departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A starter for engines comprising: anelectromagnetic switch; a pinion gear movable along an axial direction;and a shift lever for driving the pinion gear by the electromagneticswitch, the shift lever including a plurality of sheets of resilientleaf springs inclinedly supported at a middle portion thereof and havingcontact portions at both ends thereof, wherein the drive spring includesa slit end portion in which gaps are formed among the respective leafsprings at least at one of the contact portions.
 2. The starter as inclaim 1 , wherein the respective leaf springs include the contactportions having differences of distal end positions longer thanthickness of the respective leaf springs contiguous to each other andbrought into contact with an opposing member at positions different fromeach other.
 3. The starter as in claim 1 , wherein the contact portionshas curved faces.
 4. A starter for engines comprising: a shift lever;and a pinion gear movable to a side of a ring gear of an engine via theshift lever, wherein the shift lever is constructed with a leaf springmade of a resilient metal, and is provided with a low heat conductivemember having a low heat conductivity at an end portion thereof forsupporting a return force of the pinion gear when the pinion gear isbrought into an overrun state after starting the engine.
 5. The starteras in claim 4 , wherein the shift lever is constructed further by alever holder made of a metal for holding the leaf spring.
 6. The starteras in claim 4 , wherein the low heat conductive member is molded with aresin.
 7. The starter as in claim 5 , wherein the low heat conductivemember includes a lock piece held by the lever holder for preventingdetachment from the lever holder, and the lock piece is sandwichedbetween the lever holder and the leaf spring.
 8. A starter for enginescomprising: a starter motor; an output shaft driven by the starter motorand having a helical spline at an outer periphery thereof; a movablecylindrical body having a pinion gear in mesh with a ring gear of anengine, fitted to the helical spline of the output shaft and provided tomove forward and rearward in an axial direction along the helical splineof the output shaft; a shift lever device brought into contact with themovable cylindrical body for making the movable cylindrical bodyadvance; and a driving device for moving the shift lever device to aposition thereof in contact with the movable cylindrical body, whereinthe shift lever device includes a support portion, a lever holding aleaf spring and supported by the support portion and a pin supported bythe support portion for pivoting the lever and the lever is constructedto apply set load to the leaf spring by pinching the leaf spring by alever holder for holding the leaf spring and the pin.
 9. The starter asin claim 8 , wherein the leaf spring held by the lever holder is broughtinto contact with the driving device on a side of the driving device ofthe lever, and the lever holder has bifurcated portions formed bydividing the lever holder in a bifurcated shape to be brought intocontact with an outer peripheral side of the movable cylindrical body ona side of the movable cylindrical body.
 10. The starter as in claim 9 ,wherein the bifurcated portions has brake shoe portions which contactsthe movable cylindrical body and are formed by resin members and fixedto the lever holder.
 11. The starter as in claim 9 , wherein the leafspring includes the bifurcated portions such that the leaf spring isheld along the bifurcated portions of the lever holder formed by ametallic material.
 12. The starter as in claim 8 , wherein the pin isformed by a metallic material and fixed to penetrate the lever holder,and end portions of the pin projected from the lever holder aresupported by the support portion.
 13. The starter as in claim 8 ,wherein the leaf spring is layered with a plurality of spring members,and a contact portion of the leaf spring in contact with the drivingdevice is formed by bending one sheet of the spring member among theplurality of spring members.
 14. The starter as in claim 8 , wherein theleaf spring includes a projected portion locked by a notched portion ofthe lever holder for containing the leaf spring.
 15. The starter as inclaim 14 , wherein the projected portion is formed at a front end of thebifurcated portion of the leaf spring.
 16. The starter as in claim 8 ,wherein the lever holder includes a corner portion on the side of thedriving device, and the corner portion is formed to be projected longerthan the leaf spring in a direction orthogonal to a shaft of the pin.17. The starter as in claim 8 , wherein the support portion is formed bya resin member, and a rubber member is provided on a surface of theresin fixed to the driving device and the starter motor.
 18. The starteras in claim 8 , wherein the driving device includes a coil, an innercontact and a plunger capable of moving forward and rearward in adirection of closing the inner contact by an attraction force generatedby conducting electricity to the coil, and the plunger is formed in acylindrical shape and includes a return spring for urging the plunger tothe side of the shift lever device when electricity is not conducted tothe coil.
 19. A starter for engines comprising: a starter motor; anoutput shaft driven by the starter motor and having a helical spline atan outer periphery thereof; a movable cylindrical body having a piniongear in mesh with a ring gear of an engine, fitted to the helical splineof the output shaft, and provided to move forward and rearward in anaxial direction along the helical spline of the output shaft; a shiftlever device brought into contact with the movable cylindrical body foradvancing the movable cylindrical body; and a driving device for movingthe shift lever device to a position thereof in contact with the movablecylindrical body, wherein the shift lever device includes a lever holderand a leaf spring, the lever holder and the leaf spring are arranged tobe capable of being brought into contact with the driving device, andwherein the leaf spring is not brought into contact with the drivingdevice and the lever holder is brought into contact with the leaf springor disposed proximately to the leaf spring, when the movable cylindricalbody is stationary.
 20. The starter as in claim 19 , wherein the leverholder includes a corner portion on a side of the driving device thereofand the corner portion is brought into contact with the driving device,and the corner portion is formed by an end portion shape capable ofbeing brought into face contact with the driving device regardless of anattitude of the lever holder.
 21. A starter for engines comprising: astarter motor; an output shaft driven by the starter motor and having ahelical spline at an outer periphery thereof; a movable cylindrical bodyhaving a pinion gear in mesh with a ring gear of an engine, fitted tothe helical spline of the output shaft and provided to move forward andrearward in an axial direction along the helical spline of the outputshaft; a shift lever device brought into contact with the movablecylindrical body for making the movable cylindrical body advance; and adriving device for moving the shift lever device to a position incontact with the movable cylindrical body, wherein the shift leverdevice is a spring force generating apparatus including a lever holderand a leaf spring, and wherein the leaf spring includes an end portionfor catching the lever holder and alleviating stress concentration. 22.The starter as in claim 21 , wherein the end portion is provided at afront end portion of the leaf spring.
 23. The starter as in claim 21 ,wherein the spring force generating apparatus includes a support memberfor applying set load to the leaf spring by pinching the leaf springalong with the lever holder, and a distance of separating the supportmember and the end portion is larger than a movement amount for movingthe leaf spring caused by deformation.
 24. The starter as in claim 23 ,wherein the support member is a pin in a cylindrical shape and is fixedto penetrate the lever holder.
 25. The starter as in claim 23 , whereinthe support member pivots the lever holder, and the lever holderincludes a brake shoe portion in contact with the movable cylindricalbody and the brake shoe portion guides the end portion.